Embracing a new life

A/N: Another short update, but it's been posted after only five days and it's quite thrilling, or so I hope...



Chapter 20: The Hunt



This time, they were going after the real thing. Not just the rear guard, but the actual beast; the wolf-man, the werewolf. And not just one of them, but a whole pack.



It was the beginning of May, about half a year after River’s little niece had been born. They had made two week-end trips to London in the meantime to pay her and her family a visit and see how she developed. The last time, two weeks ago, she had already detected the benefits of moving around on all fours all by herself, which had put her parents under a noticeable amount of stress, since she showed a very early, but also very destructive, love for books. These days, the lower parts of her parents’ bookshelves were, as a precaution measure, empty.



Yet visiting babies was not River’s only pursuit in life. He had also intensely continued his training. In the winter months, Jawid had joined Andreji and him at times, but he had soon realised on his own that he had little to contribute; something that had seemed to surprise him. Apparently – quite like Demyan had expressed before – he had not thought that Andreji had the patience that a good master and mentor needed. When River had voiced this observation, Andreji had put up one of his dark smirks. ‘Jawid patient?’ He had chuckled. However, he had refused to elaborate on the matter.



Now, they were in a large wooded area of Norway, where, due to the low population density, there were more ‘supernatural’ beasts still to be found. It was a test, the final exam of the first degree of River’s education, in a manner of speaking. For the first time since they lived together, Andreji had taken River on a hunt.



Targeting werewolves was a challenge for many skills at once. You had to choose the right tactics, paying attention to every variable that could influence the outcome of the fight; you had to be swift and ruthless, vigilant and dexterous. Above all, you had to know your own strengths and weaknesses. You had to know your limits. In River’s case that meant that he was a long distance fighter. He was not weak per se; he could hold his own in a hand-to-hand fight. Yet compared to other fighters, he was inferior when fighting eye to eye. It was wiser for him to keep distance, not least of all because he lacked the width and height to intimidate his opponent. Andreji had still taught him some basic moves in close combat, but most hours of his physical training River had spent testing all kinds of long distance weapons. Bow and arrows, as well as crossbows were fun, but they were inferior to modern fire arms both in penetrating power and practicality, so River had turned to a professional to learn handling guns and get to know more about the properties of the diverse models. He had, of course, worked with them before, when he had still worked for Ray, but this time, he wanted to prepare properly.



To his amusement, Andreji eyed the devices quite warily. He had encouraged River in his choice, but he also – rightfully – pointed out that fire arms were, to some degree, more dangerous than other ones. One badly timed shot and you could severely, and potentially irrevocably, hurt a companion. Could the body of a vampire regenerate brain tissue after it had been damaged by a bullet? Could a vampire heart beat on with a hole in it? Andreji had made it very clear that River was not to mess in his fights. ‘I’d rather have my face eaten off by a wolf than feel a bullet out of your weapon enter my body,’ he had emphasised very graphically.



Their fighting strategy tonight was this: they were three – River, Andreji, and Jawid, who had come from his Scandinavian summer refuge to see River’s progress. River was the bait. He ran through the woods to attract the hungry pack. With his sharpened senses, he could hear them draw in on him. In a low voice he murmured soft words into the windless quiet amongst the trees while he drew one of his two loaded pistols. It rested heavily in his palm. River had grown fond of that weight in his hand over the past months. It made him feel stronger, extinguished the superiority of the beasts that surrounded him. A more reckless man would have chosen an automatic weapon. It gave off more shots, thus being more effective and intimidating, but River had chosen his weapon with care. With it, he felt more in control. He gave the impulse for each single shot.



When the first beast leapt at him, River’s pistol gave off two dark bellows before he jumped out of its way. Knowing that now the fight was on, he raised his voice, prompting his spirit to do what it had prepared for in the past minutes. A circle of flames flashed to life around him, letting the wolves halt in their steps, the fire reflecting in their eyes. At the same time, Andreji and Jawid descended from the air and each mounted one of the beasts, with a quick slash cutting their throats. Now knowing where his fellow fighters were, River turned into the opposite direction and felled another monster.



One after the other, the numbers of the beasts dwindled. Andreji and River both acted with deadly precision. Jawid, however, took his time. After the first two animals, he sheathed his dagger and took his next opponent on bare-handed.



When two thirds of the werewolves lay slain, the rest of the pack chose flight. River caught one square in the back of its head. Andreji, meanwhile, already wiped his bloody dagger on a huge plant leaf. Jawid, in turn, had one of the beasts fixed with his stare, but gave it a head start before he went after it.



After perusing the vicinity to make sure the werewolves had truly gone, River gave his spirit a sign that he could extinguish the flames. He walked over to Andreji.



‘Solid work,’ his master commended him.



River grinned. His gaze drifted to the trees between which Jawid had disappeared. ‘D’you think he needs help?’



Andreji raised a brow. ‘Jawid?’ He smiled weakly. ‘The beast that can take it up with him has yet to be born.’







They had taken up residence in Andreji’s Norwegian house. After the hours in the freezing night of the cool Scandinavian May, they elected to take a warm shower first and afterwards took seats in front of a blazing fire.



Jawid joined them an hour later. The way he commented on River’s performance told the young man plainly that the vampire who liked to take on werewolves barehanded was not impressed with the fledgling who hid behind firewalls and guns, but that he at least deemed River worthy of being Andreji’s fledgling (barely).



The ring of Andreji’s mobile cut through the silence that had fallen between them after they had sufficiently discussed the night’s success. Looking at the display, Andreji lifted a brow and shifted his gaze towards Jawid. ‘Sunan,’ he said. If River remembered correctly, that was the leader of the Council, the vampires’ General Assembley, if you wanted to call it that.



Jawid moved his head in an amused way and motioned for Andreji to answer the call. River found that somewhat strange. Since when did Andreji ask for leave to accept a call?



‘Sunan,’ Andreji said once more, this time in lieu of greeting into the speaker.



Due to their heightened senses, everyone in the room could clearly understand the quiet voice. ‘Andreji, there is a strange rumour about Alaric going around in the society. I have called an impromptu meeting for tomorrow evening.’



The second brow of Andreji’s joined his first while his eyes were still locked with Jawid’s. The other man motioned for him to answer. The shift was minimal, but River could see that Andreji had started to calculate; his eyes had turned cold. ‘I will endeavour to be there,’ he answered neutrally.



Endeavour was the understatement of the century! After all, the Council met in Norway, and that was their present location already. Something was going on here that River had been left in the dark about. Why would anyone call a special meeting about a man that had been dead for… he had forgotten how long?







A/N: So, what's your guess? What secret is coming to light this time?